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Independence, Louisiana

Coordinates: 30°38′07″N 90°30′14″W / 30.63528°N 90.50389°W / 30.63528; -90.50389
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Independence, Louisiana
Town
US Route 51 in Independence
US Route 51 in Independence
Location of Independence in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Independence in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 30°38′07″N 90°30′14″W / 30.63528°N 90.50389°W / 30.63528; -90.50389
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishTangipahoa
Government
 • MayorJim Paine
Area
[1]
 • Total
2.41 sq mi (6.25 km2)
 • Land2.41 sq mi (6.24 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[2]
82 ft (25 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
1,635
 • Density678.14/sq mi (261.86/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
70792[3]
Area code985
FIPS code22-37025
GNIS feature ID2405882[2]
WebsiteOfficial website

Independence, originally known as Uncle Sam,[4] is a town in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,665 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hammond MSA.

History

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The move to establish Independence as a town was led in the early 20th century by State Representative Harry D. Wilson, who subsequently served from 1916 until his death early in 1948 as the Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry. Wilson was a son of Dr. and Mrs. William D. Wilson. In 1856, Dr. Wilson had built a store in Independence, which remained for years the oldest building in the community. Harry Wilson worked in the parish seat of Amite in the general store of the merchant Jacob Stern at a time when Tangipahoa Parish did not yet depend on the strawberry crop.[5] During the 1890s, Wilson was an express messenger for the Illinois Central Railroad.[6] He left that position to pursue a political career.

Affectionately known by voters as "Uncle Harry" or "Mister Harry", Wilson served two nonconsecutive terms in the state House from 1900 to 1904 and again from 1908 to 1912.[7] A strong promoter of his hometown of Independence, located five miles to the south of Amite, Wilson in 1902 and 1903 corresponded with Governor William Wright Heard regarding incorporation of the community, which at the time had a population of 308. Governor Heard informed Wilson that he considered the three square miles proposed for the new town as too much land for a small village and suggested that the tract be reduced in size. Originally named "Uncle Sam", Independence had begun in 1852 when the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad began operating through the area. Independence was finally proclaimed a town on August 22, 1912.[6]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2), all land.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
188068—
19101,004—
19201,0322.8%
19301,70064.7%
19401,498−11.9%
19501,6067.2%
19601,94120.9%
19701,770−8.8%
19801,684−4.9%
19901,632−3.1%
20001,7245.6%
20101,665−3.4%
20201,635−1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
Independence racial composition as of 2020[9]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 732 44.77%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 768 46.97%
Native American 3 0.18%
Asian 8 0.49%
Other/Mixed 48 2.94%
Hispanic or Latino 76 4.65%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,635 people, 711 households, and 492 families residing in the town.

Arts and culture

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Independence has a large Italian-American community, as do neighboring towns and villages.[10] Independence has a Sicilian heritage festival every year the second weekend in March. Independence has sometimes been referred to colloquially as Little Italy, and Italian expatriates began settling here as early as the 19th Century.[11]

Many attributes of the Italian culture, including food, in Independence are described in Italian Culture in Independence.[12] Other useful resources are Southeastern Louisiana University's Center for Regional Studies[13] and the Tangipahoa Parish tourist information center.[14]

Education

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Tangipahoa Parish School Board operates public schools:

Notable people

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Independence, Louisiana
  3. ^ "Independence ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  4. ^ John V. Baiamonte Jr., "Italians in Louisiana" in LLA Bulletin, Volume 57 Number 1, Summer 1994; Harry P. Becnel, "Customs, Traditions, and Folklore of a Rural Southern Italian-American Community" in Folklife in the Florida Parishes, edited by Joel R. Gardner (Baton Rouge: Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, 1989).
  5. ^ "Early History and Families of Amite". familytreemaker.genealogy.com. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Independence, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana". files.usgwarchives.net. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  7. ^ "Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives 1812-2012". Historical membership of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  8. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  10. ^ See especially Tickfaw, Louisiana, which is located four miles to the south of Independence.
  11. ^ Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. "Independence Louisiana Historical Marker".
  12. ^ Italian Culture in Independence Archived June 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine is an online scholarly pamphlet offered by the University of New Orleans. It cites other published sources.
  13. ^ "Center For Southeast Louisiana Studies". www.selu.edu. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  14. ^ "Welcome to Tangipahoa Parish!". www.tangi-cvb.org. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
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